Diaspora
by AuthorGenesis
Summary: A hospitalized Queen Chrysalis humbles herself and asks Twilight for a favor.


Chrysalis trembled, lying in a shallow crater near the Ponyville water fountain. Luminescent green ooze seeped through the cracks in her chitin, as her lips curled into a grimace of pain. She grunted as she tried to stand up, her legs wobbling like a newborn foals, before she collapsed back onto the ground. She saw ponies rushing towards her, many with wide eyes and tightly stretched lips, frowns of concern and fear. She was helpless to defend herself, and her eyelids lowered in a glower of hatred, before her world faded into blackness, her face becoming neutral upon unconsciousness.

Location: Ponyille Hospital

Time: 9:37 A.M.

Crysalis awoke to a typical hospital room. What pictures that broke the monotony of the pistachio green colored walls were of tranquil scenic views, or a flower painted large. She tried to exit the bed, only to notice that her body was strapped down. She tried to access what magic she had remaining after the failed invasion of Canterlot, but nothing happened. She looked into a mirror on the far wall, to see a magic inhibiting ring on her horn.

The door opened and Nurse Tenderheart entered the room. "Ah, you're awake. I shall go inform Lady Twilight at once."

*45 minutes later*

Six ponies, the famed Bearers of the Elements of Harmony entered the room. Twilight moved towards Chrysalis' bedside, looking down upon the defeated would-be tyrant. "Now Chrysalis, I want to remove your horn inhibitor, but you need to be on your best behavior and not use it to attack anypony, or attempt to escape before the doctors are ready to release you."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "It doesn't raise my opinion of you ponies, when you take away any means I have of defense and forcibly starve me in doing so. I'm powerless and completely at the mercy of you ponies, broodmare of the Sun Princess."

Rarity gasped, and swooned, slumping limply against Applejack, as Fluttershy blushed furiously and hid her face behind her cascading mane. Rainbow Dash hovered over Chrysalis, giving her the stink eye, while Pinkie Pie's mane deflated and her eyes glared at Chrysalis. "Hey! Don't be disrespectin' Twilight!" Applejack glared back at the Changeling queen, as Rainbow Dash agreed with her.

"Yeah, what she said. Don't be mean to Twilight! Or I'll make you regret it!"

"Or you'll what? Beat up an invalid? It must take a lot of courage to do that, you walking gay pride flag."

"[b]Enough![/b]" Twilight shouted. "Look Queen Chrysalis, I do not like this any more than you do, but unless you give me your word that you will behave, the magic inhibiting ring stays on." She turned around to her friends. "You guys need to quit expecting the worst out of Queen Chrysalis, and give her a choice between behaving in a socially acceptable manner or not! She's going through a difficult time right now, and it does not speak well for the magic of friendship, or of the pony race, if we are waiting to jump on her like hungry sharks in bloody waters at the first sign of failure!"

Queen Chrysalis stared dumbly at Twilight, before asking the foremost thought on her mind. "Why? Why are you not condemning me? Why don't you hate me? I tried to enslave the pony race!"

"Because everypony deserves second chances. We all fail and make mistakes. That is why forgiveness is paramount towards a healthy relationship and a healthy society. Besides, who's to say that I would not have done the same, had I had the exact circumstances and choices before me? If you're truly remorseful regarding your attempted invasion, then I can not hold any bad blood between us."

"I—I don't know about remorse, but I do think that improving relations between changelings and ponies is in the best interest of my children right now. So to answer your demand, yes I vow upon my children to behave myself."

Twilight sighed, a slight upward curve of her mouth, pleased that the Changeling queen agreed to this. She manipulated her hooves, unlatching the horn inhibitor's clasp, and removing the ring from her horn.

Once that was off, the bucks on her restraint was removed hastily, before the Chrysalis gripped her head between her forehooves, her eyes spinnning around slightly.

"Easy. You lost a lot of blood. So you'll want to use your magic sparingly, at least until you replace the blood you lost." Twilight informed her.

"Right. Well, I'm starved, is there anypony willing to feed me?" Chrysalis inquired, looking about the room at the assembled ponies.

"U-um, are there any negative side effects to being fed on?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"Only if a pony is completely drained of their love, but that usually only happens with rogue changelings. It wouldn't be very good for our disguises if emotionally zombified ponies started to pop up. We'll drain them until just before the Depression and Listlessness stages. But otherwise, there is no negative side effects to being fed upon, as long as they aren't drained of their love levels too far." Chrysalis informed, looking directly at the shy pegasus.

"Y-you won't do that to us, will you?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes opened wide in fear.

"I vowed on my children to behave, so no, I won't drain whoever feeds me dry, or dangerously low love levels."

Pinkie Pie's hair poofed back up, as she hopped excitedly over to Chrysalis' bedside. "Oh, oh! I'll feed her!" She tilted her head, presenting her neck to Chrysalis.

"What are you doing?" Queen Chrysalis asked confused.

"Don't you have to bite me with your vampony fangs to feed off of me?" Pinkie replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Ugh, No!" Chrysalis replied, rolling her eyes. "Stupid vampony lore."

"Then why do you even have fangs?" Pinkie inquired, raising an eyebrow, as she stared at Chrysalis intensely.

"They're vestigial parts from our insectoid ancestors." Chrysalis replied, looking slightly irritated at explaining common changeling knowledge with the pink pony.

Chrysalis lit her horn, as Pinkie twitched and giggled as Chrysalis fed on the love she had inside her. "Hey! That tickles!"

"Twilight?" Chrysalis inquired, her voice sounding soft and hesitant, rather like Fluttershy's in that moment.

"Yes?" Twilight looked up, her quill writing down as much as she could remember about what Chrysalis had said about Changeling fangs.

"I know I have no right to ask this of you, but could you send a notice poster throughout every populated region of Equestria, to inform my children of where I am.." She broke into a heartbroken sob at that point. "T-the ones that survived, that is." Tears streaming down her ebony face. A- and could you draw up a treaty between the Equestrian kingdom and my changelings and I?" Chrysalis asked.

Twilight placed a comforting hoof over Chrysalis' chitinous barrel. "Of course I will."

"Will any of them even come back? I mean, their mother did fail pretty badly." Rainbow Dash inquired.

"Rainbow Dash! Show some compassion! But to answer your question, I honestly don't know. If they have any autonomy at all, it will end up being to each changelings decision. If they have a 'hive' mindset though, like that of ants, then their first priority will be to locate, care and protect their queen." Twilight ruminated.

"The drones, and the sentients will come back. The ones that survived, that is. The sapients will either decide to go rogue, change loyalties to a different Hive, or return to me, so they're the only ones that I don't know about." Chrysalis responded.

"Well, I'll come by tomorrow to feed you, if one of the other girls haven't done so, and to get your opinions and feedback as I draft up a Treaty between Equestria and Changelings." She turned to her friends. "Come on girls, let us let Queen Chrysalis get some rest."

Twilight was the last to file out, but before she exited the room, she could hear a grateful, "Thank you." from Queen Chrysalis. She smiled, and inclined her head in acknowledgement to the Changeling queen, before she closed the door to get started on drafting Notice papers to send to every populated city, town, and settlement in Equestria. "Get well soon, Chrysalis." She murmured quietly.


End file.
